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I was going to title this Germs, Gays, and Guns but that just seems so tacky!
March 11th, 2010
We all have strep throat. I hate blogs where people whine non-stop so I will just say that it feels like I have been gargling with thumbtacks and leave it at that.
There have been two posts floating around in my head and neither one is complete, or honestly that good, so how about I throw them together and see what happens. It could not be worse than telling you about the fluctuations of our temporal thermometer.
I am officially all about facebook now. I can totally see the appeal. It is the voyeurism of reality television only with that person you met once at that thing or your mother’s second cousin once removed’s preacher instead of a total stranger! The thing about facebook is you learn details about people that you never would have known if not for that easy friend button. What have I learned? Every single boy I was attracted to as a teenager up until this jerk was a homosexual! Really. Fine. I am glad they are happy and being themselves. I don’t think a person’s sex life has anything to do with their worth. I judge that on how much money they have. Kidding! Good grief.
What I want to know is what it was about 13-16 year old me that made those boys want to date me? Hmm. Was I nice or gullible or accepting or what? I refuse to believe it was because I had any masculine features. I was/am a girly girl and had breasts out of the womb (or at least fifth grade). Why was I attracted to them? Well, they were cute and kind and I hated jocks. Feel free to look into your crystal ball and explain it to me. (disclaimer: I hope those previous two paragraphs did not come across as rude, or judgmental. I am pretty open minded, yet ignorant, all at the same time.)
Next up in the I am barely lucid strep screed I have going on today, guns. Specifically, guns in your house. I am a Republican. Surely you already knew this. More specifically I am a Constitutional Conservative. This means that I am A-Ok with you and your gun. Use it to kill yourself a baby seal for its coat or to rid your house of a bad guy or show it to your friends to make your penis feel bigger. Whatever. I really don’t care. BUT. There are no guns in my house. There are two reasons, both of which I have been struggling with, and my husband would appreciate your telling me to get over both of them, because he wants a handgun.
Reason one: The Husband does not hunt. He has no need to brag to his friends. The only reason we would have one would be a protection type thing. That and to piss off our hippie friends. Fine, so we would have a gun for “protection”. We also have a very smart and curious son. One who is already obsessed with guns, which he knows about only from playing with his friends. We, of course, would have a very good safe and trigger lock. So how is a gun that is locked up tighter than Fort Knox going to protect you when there is a bad guy in your house? How can one both keep kids safe and also have easy access when needed? (note: We live in a very safe and quiet community–this alleged bad guy in the house is quite a stretch.)
Reason two: People go crazy. I could go crazy. My Husband could go crazy. Anything could happen. We both have people in our families that have been totally nutso and it could happen….do I really want easy access to a gun IF….. ( did you see the BIG IF there?). I guess that is a crazy worry, but I can’t get it out of my head. For example, there was a gun in the apartment when this happened. Maybe that is what is really causing this stupid worry–which I know is not fair to my husband, the kindest, sweetest person on the planet, but a worry is a worry and the thought of a gun in my house makes me feel icky. Thoughts?
Filed under Dr. Google, Soap box, lexapro lexplains it | Comments (9)9 Responses to “I was going to title this Germs, Gays, and Guns but that just seems so tacky!”
I, personally, will never ever have a gun in my home. I am not trained with guns and neither is my husband. That said – having a gun in our home just seems like an accident waiting to happen. AND – we also have knives in the house – baseball bat – for protection.
And, well, urgh – I don’t ever want to shoot someone. Even if it WAS for protection. I’m not the type of person that could live with myself if I killed another human being (thus – why I never joined the military). I can live with myself for beating someone – but killing? With a gun? Urgh. Makes me sick just thinking about it.
That said – I don’t think it is wrong to have one in your home. My parents have a gun in their home. It is locked up in their closet.
There’s a lot of emotions tied up in the issue of guns. I have had all the worries you list here, and more. Yet *I* am the one in my relationship that pushes for us to own guns – my husband has been vehemently anti-gun since the beginning. But I think it IS important for protection, and I’m trying to work out all the details in my head. Currently I personally do not own any guns simply because I do not know how to USE a gun, and neither does anyone in my family. When it is time for me to learn how to use a gun (by which I mean when I MAKE time for this), then I will consider purchasing one. I also believe it is really important to instruct children about gun safety. My kids are 5 and 3, and whenever I see the opportunity (IE, when they use ‘play’ guns), I take some time to talk to them about gun safety and how guns are tools, not toys. When I learn how to use a gun, I want to teach my children as well. I believe young children CAN learn how to use and care for guns, and do so safely. I believe it will teach them more respect for the gun, and help them view it as a toy. And also less of a novelty, which will make them less likely to play with it or want to show it off.
I think that perhaps a gun that is locked away will not provide you with extra protection if you wake up and find a prowler in your bedroom, true. But if you hear someone breaking into your house, you may have time to get it. If you find yourself in a natural disaster scenario and need to protect your home, belongings and family, you will have time to get it. A gun isn’t a catch-all for preventing every type of tragedy in your life, it’s just a tool to help level the playing field a bit more.
If you’re worried about one of you going crazy (or becoming a zombie, which is my insane worry, heh), the answer to that is – BOTH of you own guns. So you can take the other one out.
I jest! Sort of.
Here’s a website that has some food for thought on the subject.
http://www.a-human-right.com/
My husband’s in the Army. He knows how to shoot all kinds of guns. Last December I was given the chance to go to the range and learn to shoot some myself and had 100% more fun doing so than I thought possible.
We have NO guns in our house, real, squirt, or otherwise. Okay, I take that back. Sometimes I cut my Bug’s sandwiches into triangles and he points them at us and goes, “Pshew! Pshew!” But that’s it. I see no point in our family owning a gun “for safety purposes”. There’s no need; if someone’s going to come into our house we’d have no time to fetch it from the locked gun safe I’d insist upon, then load it with bullets kept elsewhere, to save ourselves.
Plus, we happen to know lots of people who know how to shoot guns (comes with the territory, I suppose) and every single one has told us that unless you’re trained and continue to train with your gun on a highly regular basis (as in more than once a month) there’s a better chance that you’ll miss or shoot someone other than your target. Also, that if you’re aiming to kill you need a shotgun, not a handgun.
Ahem. Anyway, hope that you’re all feeling better soon!
I support the theory that you do what feels right for you. I, however, don’t think guns are that effective for personal protection. There are a few reasons. First, if someone is threatening you/your family/your stuff, you’re going to be a bit frazzled at the least making sure your family is okay. If all that “someone” is after is your stuff, you give it to them. You can always acquire more stuff…family is what matters. Secondly, have you not seen all the news shows that do the “active shooter” demonstrations. The people with “guns” for protection are very rarely able to get their “guns” out and fire them at the “bad guy with a gun for harm” before said “bad guy” has already shot them (and multiple other people). I won’t go into the other scores of reasons, because I think you can see where this is headed.
Guns don’t kill people…people kill people. The Demo in me thinks that there’s really no use for handguns in a modern society. If you hunt, you should have some sort of hunting weapon. And if you’re in the military, you should be outfitted with some sort of military weaponry (while in active duty/training). But your everyday garden-variety handgun for protection is virtually useless. Then there’s the realist in me who thinks that you can’t really think like a “normal functioning person” with regard to guns, because there will always be “bad guys” out there who will acquire handguns, pistols and assault rifles for the sole purpose of causing harm. We’re not going to be able to stop them.
So, I don’t know. I’m back to my original theory of…you do what feels right for you. There’s a part of me who thinks that I could never shoot a gun…especially not pointed at a live target, but there’s the video-gamer from the 80s in me who was pretty darn good at Duck Hunt on the original NES.
Go with your gut on this one.
ShoeShe pretty much took the words right out of my…erm…keyboard? My husband and I are of the non-violent/passivism religious persuasion and we would NEVER have a gun in the house. Not only for religious reasons, but also because it’s just too dangerous. Every point that ShoeShe made is spot on, and those are the very reasons that we wouldn’t have a gun in our home as well, especially when children are around.
That being said, I grew up in a home in the country and every male in my family knew how to hunt/shoot guns. I was even prone to participate in some target practice myself (and I was not a bad shot either), but I never aimed at a living thing. Not sure I could. I also agree that you should do what is right for YOU and your family (just in case you wanted the opinion of this hippie friend).
We have guns…hand and otherwise. Most of which were “inherited” except maybe the bb-gun. Anyway, they’re all locked up in a hard-to-find, impossible-to-unlock-without-a-special-key, and nope-not-gonna-tell-you location in my house. They all belong to my hubs and he’s welcome to them. At one point, he used to hunt–deer, squirrels, never ducks–a lot and he was a GREAT shot. (Now, he only watches his deer, would have a FIT if someone else killed one.)
He grew up fishing and hunting with his dad and THAT is the reason we have these guns. I don’t care if someone reading this doesn’t like (hates?) guns; I don’t like them either. The one and only time I fired one (other than the bb-gun) was under duress by a jerk of a boyfriend (not Hubbie) and I cried the whole time. BUT, do NOT tell me that my hubbie has to give up his guns that he is emotionally attached to b/c of above-mentioned father/son memories. I think this is possibly one of the reasons HeyYou’s TheHusband wants to own his own gun–he has some memories with his dad (my hubbie). Maybe not as many as Pappaw and Great-Pappaw Huckablog’s, but they’re still there.
Plus, it’s a WHOLE lot of fun to the guys in this family to shoot at little orange frisbees flying through the air. (I still haven’t learned how to cook one of those things.) One more safety thing…we ALWAYS keep the ammo. locked up separately from the armor. So, if a bad guy breaks into our peaceful Huckablog Compound, I guess I’ll have to throw TJ the Attack Cat at him while the dog and I lock ourselves in the hall closet.
Get a gun, don’t get a gun….but only do what YOU want to do, as adults and as parents. We’ve always owned guns, never treated them as toys nor brandished them around the kids, and I think we were good parents who raised very responsible, moral and upright sons.
Ok, I feel the need to speak my mind.
I have a right to own any kind of firearm I desire, it’s right there in the Constitution. I DON’T believe that the constitution is a “living document” and that times have changed so much so that the original intent of the founding fathers has been negated by advancements in police forces.
If someone breaks into my house, I reserve the right to shoot to kill, if they die that’s something I’ll live with. BUT, it’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative, having to live without a loved one because I couldn’t defend my family. I understand the pacifist mentality and I agree to one extent, when the person you’re staring down in your house is NOT a pacifist and the only thing standing between you and bodily harm is something to defend yourself. Do I think that the gun should be loaded and readily accessible? Yes, but only in a gun safe that is easily accessed (think spring loaded doors and biometric scanners). Will that be handy if I’m sitting at the computer in the living room when someone busts in the front door, 3 feet from me? No. Will it possibly save my family’s life if it’s at 3am and someone breaks in while we sleep? You’re damn right!
I understand the point people have made about handguns and close quarter in home self defense. I know that in the moment you’re probably going to be a little shaky and not have the best aim in the world. That’s why most people suggest a shotgun. Well, that’s not an option for this house. What is an option is a handgun that fires a .410 or .45 long colt round: http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=662&category=Revolver I think that 30 feet is the furthest you’re going to need accuracy in the home. Anything closer and the accuracy only increases.
Now, that’s my defense of having one for self-defense in a home invasion situation. The primary reason I want to have one, however, is completely different. I would like to think that if there is ever a natural disaster (think katrina in New Orleans) and the police forces are overwhelmed that I would be able to defend and protect my own family. And not have to beg mercy for my family’s survival. I’m not a survivalist, but I was a Boy Scout, and we were taught to ALWAYS BE PREPARED!!
Ok, so I might be a little emotional over this subject, but it’s a very important topic to me. I also don’t want my son to grow up afraid of guns or not knowing how to properly use and care for them.
As for the gay thing, I really don’t know if there was anything you did except be a little naive. I mean come on, maybe it’s time you tell everyone about asking your dad what a certain device was after an episode of southpark(right?)
I love my well-spoken and logically-grounded son!
You know I love a good chance to state my opinions (but feel free to ignore them!)
I love guns. I think they are handy, important for safety, and a little badass.
Surprisingly, we don’t own a gun.
Not even a bb gun.
My husband has been well trained and almost got some kind of award for his shooting accuracy during training.
My dad had guns in the house when we were little. Even though we were curious, he taught us never to touch them because we could hurt ourselves or someone else. He was very big on teaching us about gun safety. He did not keep the gun loaded and did not keep it in a safe. We never shot ourselves and there were never any ‘close calls’ because we knew what could happen.
My brother owns a handgun and has, thankfully, never had to use it. He would in a heartbeat, though. Fortunately, he doesn’t have any little kids running around so he can keep it in his nightstand/pillow/pants.
My uncle has enough guns and ammo for the entire city of -insert hometown here-… ‘just in case’. I don’t know what he expects to happen, but I like to know that he is prepared.
When we are able to get a nice gun safe, I would like to have guns. Like I said, they are pretty awesome.
The most important thing is to be safe and knowledgeable. If you own a gun, make sure you know how to use it and practice regularly. Always make sure the gun is unloaded…
Did you know that in 4 out of 5 robberies, the gun isn’t loaded? It works best with bullets, but can be pretty handy even without them.
Aside from just owning guns, I think you all (The Son included) should learn how to defend yourselves with whatever you have handy.
My husband and I have both been held at gunpoint and my life has been threatened more times than I care to think about. (Ask your brother about the guy that stalked me… and brought machetes.)
Since we didn’t have any firearms, we had to defend ourselves any way we could. Sometimes, it can be just as effective.
I can truly see both sides of the argument because I go over the same things with myself. In my head, it goes a little like this:
“I want a gun!”
“but you might shoot yourself…”
“Oh… I’ll be extra careful!”
“Will you, really? Remember your hamster? You took great care of him for the first few weeks but then kind of forgot about him.”
“This is different!”
“Oh, so it’s like the time you accidentally sprayed mace during vacation bible school and they had to evacuate the church… and then you sprayed yourself in the face?
“…No. It isn’t like that at all. I was ten. I think I can handle this.”
“What if you have one of your crazy moments? Would you really put your baby and husband at risk?”
“I would NEVER! No matter how mad I was.”
“… really? Never?
“Weeeellll…. shut up, you! Let’s get some cake.”
“Done and done.”
So basically, do what you think is best. You can be safe and alive… at the same time!